Celebrating 80 Years - 1966, Air Force Academy Foundation

It is no secret that Colorado Springs has been closely connected to the United States military throughout its history, and one element of that is the United States Air Force Academy, located in the northern part of the city. The Air Force Academy was established in 1954 and graduated its first class in 1959, and El Pomar has proudly supported the Academy through the Air Force Academy Foundation from the beginning.

Celebrating 80 Years - Investing in Education, 1965; Colorado Academy, Denver Country Day School, and Kent Denver

Education has been one of El Pomar’s grant making areas from the beginning, when one of the Foundation’s first five grants was provided to the Fountain Valley School in Colorado Springs in 1937. As the Foundation’s grant making began to expand geographically in the 1950s and 1960s, grants were provided to three private schools in Denver that provided similar focuses on student learning and development.

Celebrating 80 Years - Support for Innovation in Medical Research, 1964, Webb-Waring Center

Originally founded as the Webb-Waring Lung Institute in 1924, the Webb Waring Center at the University of Colorado School of Medicine works “...to conduct and teach innovative biomedical research that improves the understanding, treatment and prevention of disease worldwide.”

Celebrating 80 Years - 1963, Payne Chapel

What today serves as a brewery and event center was originally built as an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in 1897. The Carter Payne Chapel at Weber and Costilla was built on land donated by Colorado Springs founder General William Jackson Palmer. And while the AME congregation it once housed has moved to another location, the building remains as an important reminder of Colorado Springs history.

Celebrating 80 Years - Standing Up for Others, Honoring the El Paso County Corps of the Salvation Army and Ben Wendelken, 1962

Originally founded as a Mission in London in 1865 by Catherine and William Booth, the Salvation Army now serves in 127 countries around the world with the mission of meeting human need without discrimination. The Colorado Springs Corps serves all of El Paso County, and provides a range of services including food programs, youth programs, disaster services, and shelter & housing.

El Paso County fire mitigation efforts get $500,000 boost from El Pomar, Anschutz foundations

Liz Forster, The Gazette El Paso County fire officials preparing for a potentially extreme fire season received an extra $500,000 for mitigation efforts this week from two Colorado foundations.

MCC accepting applicants for entrepreneur program

Looking to start or expand your business? Morgan Community College is now accepting applications for its Small Business Entrepreneurship Program.

Celebrating 80 Years - 1961, Penrose Community School

In its first year, 1937, El Pomar granted to five organizations: the Fountain Valley School, Glockner Hospital, the Boys & Girls Club of The Pikes Peak Region, the Junior League of Colorado Springs (for the Nutrition Camp School), and the Penrose Community School. The grant to the community school in Penrose, Colorado offers an opportunity to explore the history of the town named for El Pomar Foundation’s founder.

Celebrating 80 Years - Honoring the History of Colorado Springs, 1960, McAllister House Museum

Just north of downtown Colorado Springs, at 423 N Cascade Avenue, is the McAllister House—one of the three oldest houses in Colorado Springs and the only one that retains its original floor plan. On the National Register of Historic Places since 1973, the House is open to the public as a museum, offering insights into the rich history of Colorado Springs and the McAllisters’ role in the development of the region.

Celebrating 80 Years - Foundations and Tax Day, 1959, The Internal Revenue Service

While it is well known that nonprofit grant making foundations like El Pomar maintain and grow their assets via financial investments, it is less well known that this means that foundations also pay a considerable sum in taxes each year. In fact, if the Internal Revenue Service were a grantee organization, it would be El Pomar’s sixth highest grantee to date.

Celebrating 80 Years - 1958, Laradon Hall Society for Exceptional Children and Adults

Belief in the power of education and the promise of children have been central components of El Pomar Foundation giving from the beginning, and many of the Foundation’s early grants reflect the compassion Spencer and Julie Penrose had for the young. A grantee since 1952, the Laradon Hall Society for Exceptional Children and Adults was the first charitable organization in the Rocky Mountain region to offer innovative support for a particular group of Colorado’s children—those with developmental disabilities.

El Pomar commits $1 million to Colorado Springs mountain biking facility

El Pomar Trustees have committed $1 million, $100,000 per year for 10 years, to underwrite the City of Colorado Springs’ operational expenses for a world class mountain biking facility.

Celebrating 80 Years - "A Fine Young Man," 1957, Scholarships and Empowerment through Education

Education was important to Spencer and Julie Penrose’s philanthropic efforts, and that is evident in the significant amount of scholarship funding the Foundation has provided throughout its history. Julie Penrose wanted to ensure deserving young men and women who wanted to go to college but could not afford it were provided an opportunity to continue their education. Originally, Mrs. Penrose conducted the interviews personally, granting to fund educations at institutions of higher education throughout the state.

Celebrating 80 Years - Mrs. Penrose and a Place of Spiritual Solace, 1956, Pauline Chapel

The Pauline Chapel was built in 1919 by Spencer Penrose on behalf of his wife. Julie Penrose was a devout Catholic and her interest in charitable giving encouraged the couple to establish El Pomar Foundation as a means to give back to the communities of Colorado. With Mrs. Penrose’s passing in 1956, the Foundation entered a new stage, in which the stewardship of the Penrose legacy transferred from the Penrose’s to Trustees outside of the family.

A Central Peaks Town Hall

Recently, the Central Peaks Regional Council hosted a Town Hall event which used live polling and breakout sessions to ask key community leaders for assistance in determining and prioritizing regional challenges and identify opportunities for philanthropic dollars to assist in addressing those issues.

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